


Bring Me Back

by electricfenceofdoom



Category: Twenty One Pilots, joshler - Fandom
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Suicide, good ending, kind of fluffy?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 11:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17466797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electricfenceofdoom/pseuds/electricfenceofdoom
Summary: “Wh-what is this?” Tyler whispered, fear creeping into every corner of his mind as he traced the words with his fingers, as well as the drops of blood. It was his handwriting, clear as day.To whoever finds this-Sorry you have to find me like this, but it’s for the best. Trust me.Love you all,TylerHands trembling, the note fluttered to the ground. “No, this can’t be right. Where am I?!”





	Bring Me Back

**Author's Note:**

> My first twenty one pilots fic! Hope you all like it!

Blinding light, distant noise that was indistinguishable, and then a sharp pain in his arms that made him wince and twitch in pain - these were the things Tyler woke up to.  
He shot up in bed in a cold sweat. His room was dark except for the yellow light that filtered in through the window from the streetlights outside. The sheets were wrapped and tangled around him like he had tried to strangle himself in his sleep. _Nightmare?_ His frazzled mind whispered, and he shook his head to try to clear it. That’s when he caught sight of the paper on the edge of his bedside table. “Hm.” He hummed, picking it up carefully.  
His heart stopped for a moment.  
“Wh-what is this?” Tyler whispered, fear creeping into every corner of his mind as he traced the words with his fingers, as well as the drops of blood. It was his handwriting, clear as day.

_To whoever finds this-_  
Sorry you have to find me like this, but it’s for the best. Trust me.  
Love you all,  
Tyler 

Hands trembling, the note fluttered to the ground. “No, this _can’t_ be right. Where am I?!” He shot out of bed and to the window, but the street outside was dark. Darkness, all around. “Please. I don’t understand! Let me out! I want to go home!”   
“Hush.” A soft voice whispered, and Tyler whipped around. “There’s no need to fear. I am with you.”   
“Who?” He asked softly, finding his fear melting away. Tyler didn’t recognize the voice, and yet he did. It wasn’t like anything he had ever heard before - calming, neither male nor female, but a gentle presence that eased the panic gripping his heart and his mind.  
“There is no need to be afraid.” It whispered once more, and Tyler felt the muscles in his body go slack. “You are never alone. You simply need to understand, and I wish to help you. They are waiting for you, but you must see the truth before you are able to return.”   
“O-okay.” He muttered, despite the hundreds of questions that were boiling in him. Who was waiting for him? Where was he going back to? What did he need to understand? Why was he here? Before he could bring himself to ask, the blinding light was returning, swallowing him whole.  
“Let us begin.” 

****** ||-// ******

When the light faded, Tyler was no longer in his dark bedroom. Instead, he was standing in an open field, filled with stones. Gravestones. _A cemetery?_ “Why here?” He asked softly. The presence was still around him, but it didn’t respond. His eyes traveled down, and what he saw there made him stumble back.

_Tyler Joseph_  
Gone but Never Forgotten  
December 1, 1988 - June 5, 2007 

“I’m…”   
“Hey Ty.”   
Tyler whipped around at the voice, and his breath caught. “Josh!” He exclaimed, and reached out, relief flooding him. “Dude! You have no idea-“ But he was completely ignored. In fact, Josh walked straight through him to kneel beside the grave. Tyler stared, speechless.  
“I can’t believe it’s been a year without you, man. I miss you everyday.” The other boy said softly, a shaky smile on his face. He looked skinnier than when Tyler last saw him - scrawny, exhausted. Not the Josh Dun he knew. This guy was… _sad_. Depressed, even. “I wish I could have done more to help you, Ty. I should have seen the signs, I could have told you…” Tyler watched, his throat closing with emotion as Josh frantically wiped tears from his eyes. “Ha, you would so punch me right now, if you could see this. Tell me I’m out of the band. Sorry, I know you hate it when I get all emotional. I brought you a red bull though, maybe that will make up for it.” Tyler bit his lips as Josh rested the can on the gravestone. He stared at Josh as he sat there, reigning in his emotions and trying to keep himself under control. Finally, the other boy reached out and rested a hand on his headstone, patting it softly and tracing the letters. “I’ll see you soon, Tyjo.” And with that, Josh stood up and started away, only glancing back once before leaving the graveyard.  
“Josh… wait…” He tried softly, but it was in vain, for the white light was already swallowing him all over again.

****** ||-// ******

A cathedral opened up in front of him as Tyler’s vision returned once again. Pews were lining the alley that led to the front, and an open casket sat on a table at the front of the room. His stomach lurched as he stepped forward and took in the all too familiar form laying there, lifeless. “Why are you doing this?” He asked, and he could feel the presence move around him as the door at the front of the church creaked open. Tyler turned. “Mom? Dad?”   
His mother was sobbing, while his father looked solemn and upset as they moved slowly down the alley. Tyler felt guilt build in him. “Oh Tyler… my baby, I’m so sorry…” His mother reached out and rested a hand on his cheek, just as she had always done when he was a boy. “I should have known.”   
“Nobody did!” Tyler intercepted quickly, though he knew deep down it was fruitless to even try and speak. “It wasn’t your fault! I just…” His words cut off. It all seemed so superficial now, so ridiculous. Why _didn’t_ he ask for help? Why didn’t he try hard to work things out? His hands clenched into fists at his side. Originally, he had believed it would be better for everyone if he had left. He was nothing but an annoyance, an existence in a universe that didn’t care about him. There was nothing here for him, he had thought. So what was the point in staying, when all it was was pain?   
“We should have tried to understand, this is all our fault…” Tyler watched as his mother broke down, her sobs echoing eerily around the empty church. All he wanted was to comfort her, but he couldn’t even do that. She had no idea he was there.   
“Why are you making me watch this?” He whispered. “I don’t want to be here anymore. Can’t I just go home?”   
“Because you need to understand.” The voice murmured. “There’s one more thing you must see.” Just like that, the light was surrounding him - and everything faded.

****** ||-// ******

In what felt like seconds, Tyler was transported to another place, and what seemed like another time. This time, however, it was an all too familiar place. It was his bedroom. “We’re back?” He asked softly, relief flooding his voice.  
There was a soft sigh and a groan from behind him, and he turned - only to see his own body. His breathing was ragged, unsteady, and his face was pale as death. Blood pooled from his wrists, and the stinging pain he had felt earlier flew into his own wrists. Tyler was speechless.  
“Hey Ty!” He could hear someone call from outside. There was a soft knock on the door, and then it creaked open. There stood Josh, horror crossing his face.   
_“Tyler!”_ He screamed, and Tyler stumbled back as his best friend rushed to his body, collapsing down beside him, blood already soaking into his clothing. Tyler thought he was going to be sick again. Josh scrambled for his phone, dialing 911. Tyler could hear the phone ring, and a woman answer. “M-my best friend is bleeding out, you have to hurry! I think he did it to himself, I-I don’t know what to do.” He listed off the address from heart, and then followed the woman’s instructions. Tyler watched, trembling, as he covered his wounds and applied pressure to stop the bleeding.   
“Not Josh, I never wanted _Josh_ to find me.” He whispered, his voice hoarse. Tyler had never seen his best friend in so much distress. His best friend was now performing CPR, calling his name, fighting for the life Tyler so desperately wanted to shed himself of. It made his heart ache with guilt. “I didn’t think he would…” What? Care that much? He had thought he would just move on, forget about Tyler and find a new best friend. Someone who wouldn’t call him at 2 am that needed to talk to stop the angry voices in his head, someone who could stand up for himself, someone who he could be _proud of_. Josh didn’t need him - Josh could do so much better than him.   
The bedroom door slammed open as EMTs rushed in the room. Josh crawled to the side, softly begging them to save his best friend. The scene was hard to watch.   
“I want to go back.” Tyler whispered. “I want to go back home. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have… I didn’t think anyone would care.” The noise started to fade as Tyler spoke, but he still watched the scene with a terrified gaze. “I thought they’d be glad I was gone.”  
“You are loved, Tyler. It’s time for you to make a choice.” The voice echoed softly in his mind, and Tyler gave a little nod. Once again, his surroundings faded.

****** ||-// ******

The hospital room was like all hospital rooms. White, smelling like disinfectant, loud. There was a lot of beeping, and the stillness of the room made it seem like you could hear the IV dripping. There was his body again, laying spread out on the bed. Tyler glanced at the date. _June 5, 2007_. So he was back in the present.  
“I’m giving you another chance, Tyler. This is not your destiny, but you have to choose the correct path.”   
“It’s so hard though. My mind won’t shut up, the demons in my head tell me so many things.” Tyler sighed, looking away. “Sometimes I think it’s the only way to get away from it.”  
“You have never confided in your family, or to Josh. They want to stand with you, Tyler. It would not be a burden for them if you asked for help.” The voice murmured, and the presence comforted his heart, made him take deep breaths to relax.  
“Okay.” Tyler said. “Okay.” He stepped towards his body, breezing passed Josh who had fallen asleep at his bedside, still covered in his blood. He wanted to apologize - and it seemed he would get the chance. With a trembling hand, he reached out and touched his own body. For the last time, white light enveloped him, and everything fell silent.

****** ||-// ******

Tyler’s eyes flew open. His wrists stung, his head was dizzy and disoriented. He was pretty sure that if he tried to stand up he would both vomit and collapse. To his right was his heart monitor and his IV, and he could tract the tube all the way down to his heavily bandaged wrists. To his left sat Josh, peacefully sleeping. Tyler remembered little from his dreams, but he his most vivid memory was watching Josh fight for him to stay alive. It made guilt rise in him. _I can’t believe I forced him to do that…_  
As if his thoughts and his gaze had summoned him, Josh started to stir from his slumber. Their eyes met, and his best friend’s face broke out into the brightest, most relieved smile Tyler had ever seen. “Hi Joshie.” He whispered in greeting, giving him a little smile of his own.  
“Hi Ty.” Josh said in return, and Tyler could feel his rough hand - calloused from years of playing drums - take his own, careful of the bandages. “You feelin’ okay?”   
“Yeah.” Tyler hesitated. “‘M sorry. For what I did.”   
“Yeah.” Josh repeated, but his voice held no anger or blame. “I was scared for you, Ty. I thought I was going to lose you.”   
“Sorry.” He said again, and he genuinely meant it. “I never wanted to hurt you, or anyone. I thought…”   
“We can talk about it later. You need to rest, okay? You’re here, and you’re alive. That’s all I need, right now.” Tyler watched his hand as it came up to gently ruffle his hair, and his breath caught as his his hand brushed against his cheek. _What was he going to say, by my grave?_ He thought blankly, his heart skipping a beat. They had always been best friends. They were inseparable ever since they were little. Tyler had had no idea there could be something a little deeper between them…   
“O-okay.” He stuttered out, but it could be blamed on the fact that he was still weak after losing so much blood. His mouth opened wide in a yawn, and his eyes started to droop. The next thing he knew, he was being engulfed in sleep - but instead of a bright light, it was warm and dark. For once, he couldn’t wait to wake up.


End file.
